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Lirastot
The lirastots lay claim to their jungle homeland of Lyzots, where they are at home in the overgrown swamps, thick humid air, and a slow, meandering societal pace that moves with the sun. They are slow and deliberate, and they prefer to solve problems in order of convenience rather than importance; communities of lirastots will even stagnate and remain the same in the face of tribulations simply because an efficient, low-costing solution has not yet revealed itself. It is said that not even a god could force a lirastot to take action before they are ready. Etymology and Other Names The term lirastot is derived from one of their native languages, Cill, which calls their homeland Listot rather than the Standard name Lyzots. With the added syllable of ra, lirastot could be taken to mean "boulder of Lyzots" in reference to the race's steadfast, slow-moving nature. Gradually, it is likely that the name lirastot became subject to Nicta-slio pronunciations, but the country did not, explaining the vowel discrepancy between Lyzots and the derivative lirastot. In the early days of galactic politics, lirastots "campaigned" for other races -- and thus their languages -- to call them by the name lirastot rather than the variety of sometimes offensive or animal-focused names that had developed. Historical accounts indicate that lirastots simply stopped responding or attending events where they were not called by their preferred name, and the name lirastot eventually supplanted others in virtually every major Ealdremen language. Biology The imposing jaws of lirastots command attention wherever they go, as their long snouts ensure that anyone will see the lirastot's teeth before even their eyes. Their mouths are filled with teeth of varying sizes; no two lirastots will have the same tooth growth. One lirastot might have their teeth alternate between small and large, whereas another could have a cluster of large teeth in the back and only small teeth in the front. In this manner, a lirastot's mouth and corresponding teeth marks is a "fingerprint" for the individual -- a distinctive feature that only they have a particular iteration of. Lirastots have clawed feet and hands with webbing between their digits; the amount of webbing on the hands is rather small, ending just before the fingers' first joint, and is consequently easy to overlook. Fitting with their heritage of swimming in jungle rivers and swamps, lirastots normally have muted colors, primarily greys, yellows, greens, browns, and sometimes dull grey-blues that keep them camouflaged in murky waters. Their undersides are often a lighter color than the rest of their body, whereas the thick mane of hair that goes from their heads to the ends of their tail is often darker than their scales. It is thought that the lirastots' distinctive mane may have come from its resemblance to the mossy growths throughout the jungles where the race has made its home for thousands of years. This, in conjunction with their cultural emphasis on independence, would mean ancient lirastots with moss-like manes would have survived in the harsh jungles of Lyzots than their hairless relatives. The biology of the race also points towards selectiveness for traits that facilitate aquatic travel; lirastots can close off their nostrils at will and have a thin membrane over their eyes that prevents silt and other debris from irritating the eye. Sociology Lirastot communities are built around convenience rather than social connection; however, even above convenience is the idea of efficiency. Old roads can remain unchanged for years upon years because redoing them comes at too much of a cost. A local community can simply learn to go around a hole in the road, and that is more efficient than paving it over. Similarly, lirastots' social ties are built around efficiency and convenience. Their relationships exist inasmuch as it is convenient to maintain them, and a typical lirastot will let relationships that cease to be convenient fade away. They perceive the idea of a relationship of any sort that requires work as inherently detrimental, as it can be replaced by one that does not require work. Lirastot socialization is based around proximity; it is easy to maintain a casual friendship with someone who lives next-door or who is at a local gathering place at the same time. Someone who leaves the community is no longer convenient to keep in contact with and is no longer part of the community at all. Children in lirastot communities are expected to take care of themselves from a young age, but they are also not pressured to leave their childhood homes until it is convenient. Even when a lirastot leaves home, they will generally stay nearby to keep themselves in a familiar area and not have to adapt to somewhere new. Regardless of how close they are to their families, however, lirastots are mostly independent and expected to learn things on their own through experience or asking the right questions. Within a household, lirastots tend to coexist without much interaction or expectations of one another. A parent may give advice to a child if asked, but there is no social obligation for the parent to do things for the child. This is because it is both inconvenient to the parent, who must sacrifice something to do this act of service, and the child, who learns that their path of least resistance can come at the expense of other people. Lirastots tend to abhor unpredictability and disruptive spontaneity. Their communities are quiet and remain the same for generations, and only the most urgent and consequently high-paying work is done when it is needed and not when it is convenient. Deadlines and schedules are given with the expectation that it is a general guideline. There is no particular sentiment attached to traditions or the way things have been; rather, there is a sense that the current way is working perfectly fine and does not need to be changed, and that change naturally happens on its own. A temple may be popular one generation only to cease being relevant decades later. Lirastots typically would not mourn the loss of tradition or attempt to impose it on a new generation. In this case, it is simply natural that the temple would stop being tended to and become overtaken by the jungle. Racial Traits (D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder) Lirastots can be either Medium or Large, with Large lirastots inheriting the typical benefits and penalties from that size category. Lirastot characters may choose either +2 Strength and -2 Dexterity or +2 Constitution and -2 Charisma, representing the lirastots' general inclination to physical might at the expense of slow reflexes and general disdain for socialization. Steadfast (Ex) Flavor When chaotic situations reach their peak, lirastots will most often dig in their heels and conserve their energy; there is no sense in going against the currents of a river, and there is instead greater sense in waiting for the right time to strike. If given the opportunity, a lirastot with a mind to can end a conflict in one single strike rather than needlessly wasting energy. Mechanics Once per day as a move action, a lirastot may render themselves Steadfast for 1d4+1 rounds. While Steadfast, the lirastot may only take a five-foot step and cannot benefit from any increases to their speed. Increases to speed return after the effects of Steadfast end if their duration has not expired. If the lirastot is given an additional move action through another ability or spell, they may not move more than five feet total that round, including their five-foot step. They may still be moved or repositioned by other creatures. While Steadfast is active, the lirastot gains different bonuses based on if they deal damage to another creature on their turn. If they deal damage on their turn, all damage dice they roll during that turn are advanced by one step. Otherwise, they have +1 racial bonus to the DCs of all their spells and abilities and +2 Natural AC until the start of their next turn. : Keywords: Active, move action, extraordinary ability, daily ability Bite (Natural Ability) Flavor A lirastot's jaws can snap down with force comparable to a conventional weapon. Not all of them will make liberal use of their powerful bites, either for fear of injury to their most distinctive feature or simply because it is inconvenient, but a lirastot can always rely on their fangs to launch a surprise attack even when they seem to be unarmed. Mechanics Lirastots have a Bite natural weapon attack that deals 1d6 damage under the normal rules for natural weapons. : Keywords: Active, natural ability, at will Imposing (Natural Ability) Flavor Even with their mouths closed, a lirastot's teeth are normally visible. This, in conjunction with their normally large sizes, can make them frightening to look at -- there are few things that can compare to the primal fear of knowing that a lirastot has been incensed to violence. Mechanics Lirastots have a +2 racial bonus to Intimidate. : Keywords: Passive, natural ability Swampbound (Natural Ability) Flavor Although lirastots are more inclined to drift than actively swim, they are naturally buoyant and can push themselves to swim through even rougher currents if the need arises. They may not be the quickest swimmers of Ealdremen's people, but lirastots are undeniably consistent and deliberate in how they slowly maneuver through the water. Mechanics Lirastots have a +2 racial bonus to Swim. : Keywords: Passive, natural ability Category:Ealdremen Races